Winter Wreath with Faux Evergreen, Pinecones and Berries

Built from faux evergreen, a handful of pinecones and a few berry sprigs, this winter wreath is meant to stay up from the first cold snap until spring. Nothing on it belongs to one holiday, and the bow is wired on rather than glued, so a change of ribbon is all it takes to carry it through the season.

The construction is the classic one for greenery: small bundles bound to a wire frame with one continuous length of paddle wire, each bundle hiding the stems of the last. Pinecones and berries go on afterward, on picks, where they are easy to move until the balance looks right.

What You Need

• Wire frame, 14 in (36 cm) across
• 6 long faux evergreen stems, ideally two or three different kinds, such as pine, cedar and fir
• 5 pinecones, each on a short wired pick
• 4 faux berry sprigs
• 1 bow made from wired-edge ribbon, with wire tails
• Paddle wire
• Wire cutters
• Gloves, if the faux needles are stiff or scratchy

Pinecones can be bought already on picks. To wire your own, the method is shown step by step in the pinecone wreath tutorial.

Fluff and Cut the Evergreen

Faux stems come out of the bag squashed flat, and a wreath made from flat stems looks thin no matter how many you use. Spread every side branch away from the main stem, then fan the smaller tips up, down and sideways so each branch has depth.

Next, cut each long stem into about three pieces roughly 6 to 7 in (15 to 18 cm) long, using wire cutters, since the stems have a wire core. Six stems give about eighteen pieces. Stack them in pairs or threes, mixing the kinds of evergreen, to make small bundles. Cut wire ends are sharp, so handle the pieces by the foliage.

Wire the Evergreen onto the Frame

1. Twist the end of the paddle wire several times around one of the cross wires of the frame so it cannot slip. Do not cut the wire from the paddle at any point until the ring is finished.
2. Lay the first bundle on the frame with its tips pointing clockwise. Wrap the paddle wire tightly around the stems and the frame three times, about 1 in (2.5 cm) from the cut ends.
3. Lay the second bundle so its foliage covers the bound stems of the first. Angle it slightly toward the outer edge, and wrap three times.
4. Angle the third bundle toward the inner edge. Repeat this pattern, outer, center, inner, so the frame is covered across its full width.
5. Keep going clockwise. Pull the wire snug on every wrap, because a loose wrap lets the bundle swivel later.
6. When you reach the first bundle, lift its tips and slide the last bundle underneath, so the join disappears. Wrap, cut the wire with a tail about 6 in (15 cm) long, and twist the tail around the frame at the back. Bend the cut end inward.

Hold the wreath upright by the frame and shake it gently. Any bundle that swings needs another wrap of wire. The same binding method, with real branches, is used for a fresh evergreen wreath on a wire frame, if you would rather have the scent and accept that fresh greens dry out and shed.

Add the Cones, Berries and Bow

Hang the wreath on a hook or prop it upright before placing anything.

1. Cones. Make two clusters on opposite sides of the ring: three cones at the lower left and two at the upper right. Push each pick through the greenery to the frame, wrap its wire around a ring of the frame and twist it tight at the back. Turn the cones to slightly different angles so the cluster does not look lined up.
2. Berries. Tuck two berry sprigs beside each cluster, with the stems hidden under a cone or a branch. Wrap each stem around the frame or a neighboring evergreen stem.
3. Bow. Wire the bow to the bottom center with its own wire tails, twist them at the back and bend the ends in. Shape the loops and let the ribbon tails hang.

Common Problems

• The wreath looks flat. The stems were not opened out enough. Reach in and fan the tips forward and outward, starting at the inner edge.
• Bundles slide around the frame. The wraps are loose or too close to the cut ends. Add a tight wrap further up the stems.
• A cone droops. Its pick is attached to greenery, not to the frame. Rewire it to one of the frame’s rings.
• One side looks heavier. Turn a cone to show its narrow side, or move one berry sprig across to the lighter cluster.

Hanging and Display

Twist a loop of wire onto the outer ring of the frame at the top center, and hang the wreath from a hanger rated by its maker for the weight. Cones add more weight than they appear to, so weigh the wreath before choosing a hook. A covered door is the better spot outdoors. Sun, rain, wind and frost change faux greenery, cones, berries and ribbon alike, so colors fade and ribbon goes limp when wet.

Variations Through the Winter

Because the bow is only wired on, it can change with the calendar: deep red early in the season, then mustard, cream or a plain linen-look ribbon once the holidays have passed. If you would rather change everything but the greenery, the guide to one base with swappable seasonal decorations takes the same idea through the whole year.